When a Zeeder Met a Xyder, by Malachy Doyle ("a lovely verse story, with a neat ending," U.K. publication)

The Opposite, by Tom MacRae ("a quirky story with distinctive slug-like illustrations," U.K. publication on April 26)

Jack Kerridge reviews Victorian novels for children and claims, "there are few things so pleasurable as settling down to a good Victorian novel and, happily, people are writing them for children, too. " He reviews three new novels for middle-grade readers, but, alas, none of them are currently released in the U.S.